Two battalions from Taiwan's Second Operational Zone completed the Han Kuang exercise's first-ever cross-operational zone reinforcement mission on the night of August 9–10, driving north from Hualien to Yilan using civilian flatbed trailers and freight trucks to move armored fighting vehicles over rugged coastal terrain.
The mission broke new ground in scale as well as scope. Earlier exercises — including Immediate Combat Readiness Drills and Joint Defense Exercises — had tested cross-area reinforcement in limited form. Han Kuang 42 marks the first time such a mission was executed within the live-fire exercise itself, and with the largest force ever committed to the task.
Storm Media journalists embedded with the column watched troops muster at the Hualien Chongde Control Station at approximately 10 p.m. on August 9. The convoy moved north along the Suhua Highway, passing through the Chongde Tunnel — a narrow, mountainous stretch of Taiwan's east coast road notorious for its difficult terrain — before reaching the Yilan Release Point at approximately 1:30 a.m. on August 10. Armored vehicles were unloaded from the flatbed trailers and dispersed by multiple routes to their respective tactical positions.
Civilian Flatbeds and Freight Trucks Move What Military Logistics Cannot
The integration of civilian assets was central to the operation. Armored fighting vehicles were loaded onto commercial flatbed trailers — the same lowboys used to haul heavy industrial equipment — while freight trucks supported troop and supply movement. The approach reflects a core strand of Taiwan's total defense concept: the military's organic transport capacity alone cannot rapidly move a force at scale, so civilian logistics networks must be pre-planned and integrated into operational execution.
Lieutenant General Chiu Chih-feng (邱之峯), commander of the Second Operational Zone, accompanied the column throughout the overnight mission. The operation stands as the largest force projection across operational zone boundaries in Han Kuang history.
Taitung Rushes North to Prevent a Force Vacuum in Hualien
Moving two battalions out of Hualien created a potential gap in coverage there, and planners had already accounted for it. The Taitung District Command moved forces northward into Hualien the previous day — its own cross-area reinforcement mission — to ensure that key ports and areas in the Hualien region were not left without adequate defense as the main column pushed toward Yilan.
